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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30021744">Not Every Cloud has a Silver Lining</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krma_1102/pseuds/Krma_1102'>Krma_1102</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>To Explore the Other Side [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angry Nico di Angelo, Angst, Gen, Leo Valdez is MIA, Nico di Angelo Needs a Hug, Nico di Angelo-centric, Nightmares, Percy Jackson is a Good Friend, Post-Gaea &amp; The Second Giant War (Percy Jackson), Post-Tartarus (Percy Jackson)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 22:47:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,772</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30021744</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krma_1102/pseuds/Krma_1102</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico di Angelo was tired. </p><p>Tired of pretending,</p><p>Tired of lying,</p><p>Tired of running.</p><p>And now, he was tired of everyone not believing.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nico di Angelo &amp; Leo Valdez, Nico di Angelo &amp; Percy Jackson, Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>To Explore the Other Side [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2208450</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Not Every Cloud has a Silver Lining</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Nico doesn't have romantic feelings towards Leo, since this is purely a BROmance. </p><p>Also, I'm changing a few things, because Jason can't be dead. I refuse to believe it. So, ToA basically never happened, and Leo has been missing after the war.</p><p> Just another quick warning, there is some swearing.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nico was almost dead on his feet, no pun intended. The war with Gaea was over, but not without sacrifice. More than a third of the demigods had perished, and one had blown up a furious earth primordial to save the world. Speaking of that demigod, he had never returned, and while Nico was adamant that their soul hadn't departed to the Underworld, many weren't that optimistic.</p><p>
  <em>'To storm or fire, the world must fall...'</em>
</p><p>That line of the prophecy faded into a dull nagging in Nico's mind as the chaos unfolded, only to return with full force as the adrenaline of the battle wore off. Truth be told, between the stress of hiding a centuries old secret that could lead to significant bloodshed, and transporting the Athena Parthenos halfway across the world with a bitter Praetor, he had no time to be worried about anyone but himself, lest he fade into a puddle of shadows.</p><p>But he has to keep going, because if he didn’t, the world would end<em> and the camp would hatehimandHadeswouldneverbeproudandPercywouldneverforgi—</em></p><p>Now, reality was crashing into him.</p><p>"Nico? You alright? Frank and I were gonna head back to Camp Jupiter, Reyna said---well, implied--- she needed help getting regrouped."</p><p>Lungs still heaving from the exertion, Nico stabbed his stygian iron sword into the ground and leaned forward on it for support, before dragging his gaze away from the red-flecked ground.</p><p>Hazel stood, unsure. He could see it in her eyes.</p><p>Unable to accept the almost pitying look any longer, he tore his eyes away from her, and nodded stiffly, finding a sudden interest in his shoes that were probably holier than the entire pantheon combined. Hazel hesitated for a second more and her lips parted, almost as if she wanted to utter some comforting words, but retracted in the last moment, leaning forward to give him a warm embrace instead.</p><p>Surprisingly, Nico did not shied away, but leant into the hug, as if he was a small child again, smothered by the loving warmth of Mama and Bianca. He crouched so that his head was level with her shoulder, and buried his face into her frizzy hair, the faint cinnamon scent still noticeable even with the overwhelming tangy iron of blood. Inhaling sharply, he stepped away after a second of vulnerability, and blinked back the bitter tears of defeat he was aching to weep, and turned away to hide the shame.</p><p>"You know.... I'll always be here for you too, I promise."</p><p>Nico internally sighed. Those were the words that Bianca had murmured to him every night at the Lotus Casino, yet where was she now? For all he knew, she was a entirely different person now, not a Hunter of Artemis, not the daughter of Maria, and certainly not his sister. The sense of abandonment had never left, it seemed, even after all this time.</p><p>But he couldn't choke those words out. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he whispered, "I know."</p><p>
  <em>He didn't. He didn't understand.</em>
</p><p>It was Hazel's turn to sigh, and she shook her head at the daft, self-destructive brother. Though she never really knew what happened in the past, it was clearly affecting him. Just one mention of his deceased sister would be good enough to make him disappear for weeks on end. And it made her feel helpless to no ends that he wouldn't trust her either, to spill his deepest darkest secrets. That itself made her heart ache in frustration.</p><p>"I'll be going now." Without another word, they left with Arion.</p><p>With the lonely wind whistling in his ears, Nico stood alone once again.</p><p>---</p><p>Percy Jackson was supposed to be strong.</p><p>He was supposed to be a leader.</p><p>He was supposed to be a <em>hero</em>.</p><p>He was supposed to be someone that could save everyone.</p><p>But how was he supposed to save someone from themselves? <em>How was he supposed to save someone who didn't want to be saved?</em></p><p>Percy stood before the Hades cabin, with a plate of toast and eggs in his hand, courtesy of Will, who asked (read: threatened) Percy to deliver them to Nico. Speaking of Nico, no one had seen him leave his cabin for several days now, or at least the people who cared enough noticed. Some had merely brushed it off, suggesting that he'd returned to the Underworld to complete some unfinished business, or something like that. Percy, of course, knew better. For one, he knew that Nico never really liked dressing in black, other than the fact that it makes it easier to shadow travel, and it pleases his father. And maybe it was the demigod instinct, or maybe it was a Percy thing, but he had a feeling that Nico hadn't left camp.</p><p>"Nico, can I come in?"</p><p>No response. Percy was absolutely prepared to kick down the door if it meant getting in there. </p><p>"Nico, this isn't funny. It's the doctor's orders, you have to eat."</p><p>With a cringeworthy creak, the door slid open, and there stood Nico in his full glory, his attire fully black, save for the thick fluff that bordered his collar. Percy's gazed flickered to his collar, noticing it was specked with golden dust.</p><p>"Percy?" A hint of surprise was present in the younger boy's eyes. His fist unclenched from the hilt of his sword, though he made no move to open the door any wider.</p><p>With neither willing to budge, the both stood awkwardly and stared at each other through the half opened door. </p><p>“Can I...” Percy was abruptly cut off by the slam of the door to his face. He winced. </p><p>"No, I'm fine." Nico's muffled response was sharp, though Percy's years of lying through his teeth had paid off. He knew a lie when he heard one. The barely audible click sounded as the door locked shut.</p><p>Trying a different approach, Percy slid down to the floor, back against the wooden door. “It’s doctor’s orders y’know. Who knows what’ll happen if you piss Will off.”</p><p>”That's not my problem. Who cares?” Actually, he did care. Whenever he was around the Son of Apollo, his heart would pound, like it did around Percy.</p><p>Percy, that name was bitter on his tongue now. What made matters even worse was that he had <em>feelings</em> for him. He was the guy that was supposed to protect Bianca, he was suppose to be a hero. But so was Nico.</p><p>And between more than several dozen demigods, not one had managed to save the curly haired mechanic from his doom. Nico knew he could've. He knew if he had just gotten there quick enough, if he had managed to raise more undead, if he was able to act, maybe he could see Hazel smile as she laughed with the Seven again.</p><p>But he couldn't. And as a Son of Hades, he was able to sense the life force of living creatures. And he knew Leo was not dead, he would bet his life on it. Sure, at some point Leo's soul had crossed into that grey area, in between the mortal realm and the Underworld, as he waited for Charon to ferry him over the Styx, but then it had mysteriously disappeared. That could only mean one thing.</p><p>Leo is alive.</p><p>And so it was his job, his <em>duty</em>, to find and return him to camp. Maybe it was because his cabin was perpetually dark, or that it was just his natural look, but even Nico had started noticing his own sunken cheeks and panda-like eye bags. Too bad, because he had no time for sleep. He needed to find Leo.</p><p>Barely registering the fact that Percy had literally ripped his door off it's hinges in his daze, Nico was fervently gathering more supplies and stuffing it into a bag, ready to go another expedition.</p><p>"Nico, stop, what're you doing? No one's seen you around for a while, so Will sent me to che--"</p><p>Nico raised a brow, a tinge of cold seeping into his tone. "So you didn't come willingly? I don't need any one to check up on me. I need to find Leo."</p><p>After overcoming the shock of the words that were spewed, a cold wave of understanding flooded Percy. This stupid kid was shouldering all the blame himself. He, of all people should know that it wasn't his fault. If anything, it should be Percy's.</p><p>"Look, Nico, you're like a baby brother to me," Nico's heart clenched, "And I don't want to see you like this. It's not your fault. It was Leo's choice. And if anything, I should've done something about it."</p><p>Leo's choice? Was he saying that Leo wanted to die? That he wanted to give up everything so that Percy wouldn't be the one to destroy the world in a storm? Nico had always fostered some kind of mutual understanding with Leo. It was a given fact that both of them didn't fit in, Leo's sense of inferiority making him the seventh wheel, and Nico's cold demeanour as a Son of Hades shunning him from camp. A knot of fury rose in his stomach.</p><p>"Yeah? Well, maybe if you did, then Leo wouldn't be gone. Maybe if you did, Bianca would be alive!" His voice cracked, mind flitting to the memory of his sister, "Maybe if you tried harder, if you didn't exist, Luke wouldn't have had to sacrificed himself!"</p><p>In retrospect, maybe it was a bit selfish of Nico to say that to Percy. He knew that the Son of Poseidon had tried his best, and that he already was guilt ridden with the deaths of the demigods in the Second Titan War. He knew, yet he decided to push his buttons to provoke him, all because Nico let his emotions out for a second.</p><p>Of course, that's what would happen if he decided to lose control.</p><p>Regret swept over him, yet his pride would not let him force the words of apology out. Again, the awkward silence enveloped them. Finally, Percy physically deflated and ran his hand through his raven hair, ignoring Nico's wince as he sat on his bed. </p><p>"You're right." Nico's head whipped up at Percy's statement. He wanted to scream, to pound on his chest and take back his hurtful words, but he did nothing more but stand stock still as Percy hunched over.</p><p>"I...I didn't m--"</p><p>"No. You did. And you're right. I should've done something. For fuck's sake, I'm supposed to be a hero, I'm supposed to be the one that saves the world! Not Leo. He didn't deserve that. He doesn't deserve to have to give up everything to save something that wouldn't bat an eye if he was gone. You don't deserve this. Dad was right. He was right to apologize for creating me. Because I'm a <em>mistake</em>."</p><p>Nico shuddered at his bitter tone. Way to go, that was a shitty move to make. He knew that even Percy had his own insecurities, and it seemed that he had hit the nail on the head. Guilt gnawed at him, but he didn't make a move as Percy retreated.</p><p>The plate of eggs and toast was left untouched.</p><p>---</p><p>Splotchy black patches danced across his vision, and the pounding headache only increased with each beat. Raising his arms again, he summoned a dozen more skeleton warriors, only to have them be crushed in moments by the overwhelming force of the hordes of dracanae and telekhines. He had shadow travelled to Athens, hoping to find any clues of where Leo might've gone, but the it seems as if this was all a set up. </p><p>Nico gritted his teeth, swaying sideways as he took a blow. Maybe it was the fear and adreneline that was keeping him alive and kicking, but he sure did feel like crap. Fighting back his exhaustion, Nico ran towards the sea, as a last ditch effort, a shocked yelp leaving his lips as he was swept away by the tides. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to invade the domain of his uncle, when he had coincidentally hurt his son, and the two time Hero of Olympus.</p><p>Ah, he wonder how Hades would react, seeing him in the Underworld without his body?</p><p>---</p><p>The first thing that he had noticed when he regained consciousness was that it was warm. And the sand was soft. And the salty scent of the sea breeze was comforting. It was almost as if he was playing by the canals of Venice again, giggling as water splashed on them, and squealing with delight when one of the men took them on a boat ride. Well, before lightning struck and turned his mother to ash.</p><p>Suddenly, Nico peeled his eyes open, frowning. It was peaceful, but something was wrong. It was quiet, too quiet, without even the lightest chirping of the songbirds, or the rustling of the grass.</p><p>In fact, it seemed as if everything was dead.</p><p>Closing his eyes, Nico reached out, trying to sense the life force of something, anything. Nothing. There was no entrancing soul to be reaped, or even the faintest pulse of life. That confirmed his suspicions. He reached towards his hand, pulling back in alarm when he was met with empty air. Where was his ring?</p><p>Carefully, he stalked around, glancing at the tall barren trees that used to be teeming with life. The lush vegetation had shrivelled and died, and rotting carcasses of fallen animals littered the ground. In short, someone must've offended Demeter or his dear stepmother.</p><p>But, it seemed that these things all used to be alive. Nico could sense the trace of magic in the air. This was confusing. It almost seemed like whoever was here kept this place running, and once they left, everything dropped dead. That would explain the looks of terror and surprise on the wildlife’s faces. </p><p>The further he went, the more everything seemed to click into place. It was barely there, but he vaguely remembered something Leo had told him a long time ago. He couldn’t exactly remember what, but he knew that it was a promise. </p><p>
  <em>‘An oath to keep with the final breath.’</em>
</p><p>This was the residence of a banished Titan. </p><p>But then, where was she? Had she faded? No, it was impossible. She was cursed to remain here for the rest of eternity, fated to fall in love time after time with some shallow hero that landed on her shores.</p><p>But, this place was tied to her life force. If this place was as dead as it seemed to be, that could only mean she was gone. But, how? The only way would be for someone to bring her away, to break the ancient curse, but who would do it?</p><p>As he kicked up clouds of sand with his shoes, almost seemingly casual while he walked along the edge of the water, if not for the swirls of darkness that surrounded him. He could think of someone that would have the guts to do this, but he was currently MIA. But knowing Leo, anything was--<em>is</em>--possible.</p><p>Nico sighed, flopping into the mounds of golden sand. If the Percy's word was anything to go by, there should've been some kind of raft, to take him away. But he had walked a full revolution along the edges of the water, and there wasn't anything more than a few pieces of driftwood. He whipped around as he felt the hairs on his neck rise, a cool breeze sweeping by.</p><p>Raising his voice, Nico called out, "Who's there?" Maybe it was stupid of him, since he sensed nothing but himself. When he turned around, however, the pale flickering figure made him scramble to his feet, rushing into the water. He hesitated, not sure how exactly to describe it. This thing wasn't a ghost, nor was it a spirt, but more of an in between. It was a memory.</p><p>"Who---"</p><p>"What? Don't recognize me? I'm surprised. I thought that you'd remember." A faint silver circlet rested upon her brow, and her gaze was disapproving.</p><p>"You? Your speech..."</p><p>She rolled her eyes. "Of course, my sisters have been teaching me."</p><p>"You're not in the sky? I thought Artemis---"</p><p>"Orion is an absolute bastard. Honestly, spending even days with him was insufferable. Anyways, I'm not here for mindless chatter, <em>boy</em>." Nico nearly snorted. Would his sister have turned out like her after a few centuries? He sure hoped not, because having a man hating hunter breathing down his neck would be horrible. Actually, never mind. He wouldn't be around to see it anyways.</p><p>He kept his tone respectful though, after being forever scarred when Thalia had left him alone with Phoebe. "Yes?"</p><p>"Stop. Give it up."</p><p>"Sorry?"</p><p>"Your search, for that elfish flirt. You have no place meddling with those matters."</p><p>His eyebrows furrowed. "Stop? What? What matters? It's not what you think, not like with Bianca. Not like with Daedalus. I'm not trying to bring him back. How can I, since he isn't dead?"</p><p>Zoe's eyes hardened, as if she was tempted to slap him. It disappeared as quickly as it came though, softening into an almost sympathetic grimace. She looked away.</p><p>"Your mind is muddled, son of Hades. Valdez will return when he wishes to, and no amount of searching will have you find him. He's left with the titan."</p><p>"Calypso?"</p><p>Zoe gained a faraway look, as if she was reminiscing with her past heritage, being the daughter of Atlas that was what led to her death in the first place. Nico stayed silent, opting to change the topic before the conversation could turn sour.</p><p>"My mind is muddled? What do you mean?"</p><p>Her gaze snapped back to him, before she sighed. "I can not tell why, but you must come to terms with whatever is troubling you. It would do no good if you suddenly lose control."</p><p>Come to terms with what? Nico had a faint idea of what she was talking about, but he had swore to keep that buried, forever. No one had knew what had happened with Cupid, aside from Jason (<em>Nico had made sure he would keep his mouth shut.</em> <em>And no, the phrase 'dead men tell no tales didn't apply.</em>)</p><p>He was about to respond when white flashed before his eyes, his body jolting as volts of electricity ran through him. Zoe's voice was getting distorted, overridden by a familiarly annoying cousin's voice. The world spun, the inviting beaches of the island disappearing in a flash, swiftly being replaced by glimpses of the fragmented forests. Nico groaned, head spinning as he was propped up by someone.</p><p>"--eathbreath? Nico?"</p><p>Shielding away, Nico instinctively grumbled, "Shut up." </p><p>Apparently, that was a horrible choice, because another jolt of electricity shocked him upright. Any more, and he'd feel like he was barbequed. "Thalia, I swear to the gods, if you---"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, whatever. C'mon, up you go. What were you even doing there, in the middle of nowhere? I found you half drowned in a lake. A lake! Aren't ya scared that Uncle P might've decided that it was a good day for a flood?"</p><p>What? Nico glanced around, noting the lack of warmth, instead shuddering as a breeze biting wind blew through the tent. Well, this sure wasn’t Athens. </p><p>“I was...” he hesitated, remember Zoe’s words and Percy’s reaction. “Uh...it wasn’t anything important.”</p><p>If she had identified the lie, she didn’t bother calling him out on it. “Percy IM’d me. Said that he wanted to talk. I think he’s taking Blackjack over.” Nico grit his teeth, totally unprepared to face his other cousin now. Well, Thalia didn’t have any trouble finding a good way to keep him there though.</p><p>”Oh, by the way, I may or may not of sneaked you into camp. Just thought it might be kinda nice to to tell you."</p><p>"I swear, sometimes I think you're out to kill me."</p><p>"Obviously."</p><p>"Fine. Then what's stopping me from shadow traveling out?"</p><p>Thalia threw a glance over her shoulder, tossing a granola bar as she replied, "I'll make you regret it if you do. Also, heard you haven't eaten anything yet today; don't make me force you."</p><p>Nico grudgingly unwrapped the bar and took a bite, half contemplating if it was worth it to risk Thalia's wrath if it meant getting out. He grimaced as he remembered when he tried that last time. 0 out of 10 recommend. It ended out with him passing out, then bed bound for a week. They fell into an almost comfortable silence, which quickly turned chaotic as they both hear a familiar voice holler outside.</p><p>"No! I swear, Thalia told me Neeks was here!"</p><p>"Neeks? You mean that emo kid?"</p><p>"He's not emo! Just slightly pessimistic, dark, and with a touch of sarcasm."</p><p>Thalia grinned, drawing back the flap of her tent, giving a quick nod to Phoebe, who scowled and strode away. Reluctantly, Nico followed after, gaze immediately drawn to Percy's expression.</p><p>Sometimes, Nico would catch glimpses of Percy when the smile slips off his face, when an unfamiliar frown takes its place. His eyes too, instead of the signature sea green, would rage like a storm, and a glare so stiff it would feel as if it could pierce your soul would be present. When Nico would sneak out at night, the pressure in his cabin so suffocating, <em>the putrid air scorching his lungs, gnarled faces of monsters from his nightmares at every corner, immortal monsters refusing falling no matter how many times he'd murder them, </em>he'd sit by the empty campfire. And once, on his way to the fire, he heard faint voices coming from the Poseidon Cabin, long after the harpies were out prowling.</p><p>Camp had long figured out that Percy and Annabeth had to be together at night, or else half the camp would be awoken by bloodcurling screams in the middle of the night. Nico's own voice would sometimes join theirs, though it would be muffled by the pillow that he'd smother his face into.</p><p>Nico had paused outside Percy's cabin, able to make out the shadowed figures of Percy embracing Annabeth in his arms, muttering soft reassurances. </p><p>"Percy...I saw it again. The Arai, Akhyls, and you..."</p><p>Percy remained silent, as Annabeth admitted, "I was scared. The look in your eye, you were <em>enjoying</em> it. I--Then--But this time, I couldn't stop you. Your eyes, I could see you liked it when you <em>killed</em> her."</p><p>Finally, Percy broke the silence, twisting a lock of her hair between his fingers gently. While his voice seemed strong, Nico could detect the faint quiver. "I know. I'm sorry you had to see me like that," Percy paused, hesitating before confessing, "I was scared too. But I'd do it again, if it meant protecting you."</p><p>Nico tensed, noticing that he said protect "you", not "us". It seemed Annabeth had caught on too, since she shifted so that she was sitting, facing Percy, and took his hands firmly in hers.</p><p>"Percy, I know your fatal flaw is loyalty, and that you'd do anything for me. But promise me, please, never do that again. <em>Never</em>. Promise me that you will never use that ability to hurt someone. Don't ever let the gods catch on, don't let them take you from me. Don't just do it for me, do it for yourself too."</p><p>There was no answer, but the way Percy leaned in was enough of an answer.</p><p>Now, as Nico stood, feeling completely tiny beside Thalia, as he met Percy's eyes. He was sure that those eyes were a replica of what Annabeth had seen in Tartarus. He made sure to school his features into a neutral expression, not betraying his rising heartbeat and the tightening of his chest. Maybe it was silly, to be so afraid of a confrontation---no, a conversation---that he felt the need to sink into the ground and disappear to get away.</p><p>"Nico."</p><p>Nico flinched at the concerned tone, forcing himself to meet Percy's eyes---which had completely changed---that had involuntarily dropped. Thalia almost gave him a soft pat on the shoulder, suddenly stopping as it hovered, before retracting it and opting to give him a tight almost-smile.</p><p>"Percy."</p><p>That broke him. "Nico, you can't just do that. I was--we were worried about you! Randomly dropping off the face of the Earth isn't something that you can do. Do you have any idea how the fuck Will felt when Thalia IM'd us, saying that you had nearly drowned in a lake? " Percy stopped pacing, whirling so that he was right in Nico's face, jabbing a finger in his chest, "Fuck, I know you're worried about Leo. We all are. And yet you don't see us nearly dying trying to rescue him. And we don't even know if he's out there!"</p><p>Frustration and hot anger bubbled in Nico's chest, veins on fire as he raised his voice, as he momentarily forgot his panic, "Don't tell me what to do. You have no control over me, you can't order me around. Bianca was the only what that could, and she's <em>gone</em>."</p><p>"She would've wanted me to take care of you."</p><p>"You have no fucking idea what she wanted, Jackson. You, me, we all never will know. Because she's dead!" Nico ripped out the Hades figurine, chucking it at Percy, "And that was the last I have of her."</p><p>"Look, Nico, you know I feel responsible for Bianca. I know, her death is on my shoulders. I'll eternally carry the burden of Silena, Beckendorf, Michael, Ethan, and Luke's death on my shoulders. But Leo's doesn't have to be on yours."</p><p>Incredulously, Nico stared, the hairs on his neck raised, "So you're telling me to forget? To move on? I never pegged you as someone who thought running away could solve your problems."</p><p>Percy bristled, snapping, "You're only hurting yourself by chasing after something that can't happen. He wouldn't of wanted this."</p><p>Nico turned his back on the other demigod, blinking away the tears and forcing away the throbbing in his veins. Finding a shadow in the corner, he turned to face Percy one last time, laughing airily, as if nothing was wrong in his world.</p><p>"Fuck you Jackson. Can't believe I ever loved you."</p><p>---</p><p>Regret, a strong word. Percy had regretted a lot of things in his life. </p><p>He regrets not being able to see through the elaborate ruse that Gabe had put up in the beginning.</p><p>He regrets ever finding the mythological world.</p><p>He regrets ever being born, being a mistake in the eyes of his father.</p><p>And he regrets not being able to see that Nico had feelings for him. He regrets raising his voice, or deliberately ignoring the fact that he could sometimes see Nico's silhouette, curled up alone by the campfire. </p><p>Three months after his argument with Nico, he regrets not looking harder and farther to find where Nico had hidden. </p><p>And today, he regrets going to the arena, because to his surprise, a certain son of Hades is already there, Mrs. O'Leary plowing through the campers to force Nico to topple over, her drool drowning him. They make eye contact, though Nico is the first to break it off, glancing up at the sky. Several campers also look up, jaws dropping as a hunk of metal neared, before someone had the common sense to call out "Clear out, it's Festus! Festus...Leo's back!"</p><p>Nico's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach, his sword clattering onto the floor. Dazedly, he backs up with the rest of the campers, breath hitching as the dragon neared. It landed with a cloud of dust, campers bursting into cheers and hollers rush forward, excitement rippling through the crowd.</p><p>Except, Nico isn't excited. He's scared, absolutely terrified. He shoots a glance at Percy, almost feeling triumphant for a second, before the feeling disappears as quickly as it comes. The campers formed a straggly line, with Nyssa and Jake in the front, both of the them whacking Leo hard before exchanging a few words. </p><p>And finally it's his turn.</p><p>"What's with the glum look, Ghost King? Did Persephone turn you into a dandelion again?" Leo's signature smirk played on his lips, hands already tinkering with his tool belt.</p><p>The words caught in Nico's throat, but he managed to choke out, "I'm glad you made it back."</p><p>"Of course, who do you take me for?"</p><p>"No. I knew." Nico turned and looked Percy in the eye, before turning back to Leo.</p><p>"I trusted you. I knew you'd come back."</p>
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